Chiltern Birder

We have had very hard frosts for the last few days and I have been twice to Rickmansworth. Yesterday was simply a walk around Bury Lake but today was some serious birding on Stockers Lake. Parts of the lake were frozen and with a bright sun mist was rising off the ice. As usual in the middle of the day it was difficult to identify anything on the water from the north side of the lake with the sun so low although the wigeon were audible. Once on the south side with the sun behind things were much clearer. A red crested pochard was beautifully illuminated to show all the plumage and the bright red beak. There was a party of the birds among the islands as well as shoveller close to the shore. On the open water there were the usual mallards, gadwall, mute swans, tufties and coot as well as the flock of wigeon.

The Indian Summer weather tempted me out yesterday for a trip down to Stockers Lake. The high point of the walk wasn't the birds but walking along the section of path between the lake and the canal a grass snake suddenly crossed in front of me. It was so close that I almost trod on it and far too fast for me to get my phone out for a picture of course. On the lake itself there was nothing outstanding, plenty of coot and a good few tufties. I saw two parties of pochard, totallying 5 individuals plus a handful of cormorants and clusters of black headed gulls on suitable perches and partiesof mute swans and canada geese. Bury Lake had a lot of boating activity but was home to a family of great crested grebes, probably a late brood as the juveniles were still in their striped plumage.

Making a trip from Ley Hill to Rickmansworth this morning I was passing Codmore Wood when a buzzard suddenly flew out of the hedgerow right in front of the car and flapped at headlight level into the wood opposite. If I had been driving fractionally faster I would have hit it. While at Rickmansworth I had a short stroll around Bury Lake which produced nothing of special interest although I did see a hen reed bunting. I did see a red kite which is the first time that I have seen one over Rickmansworth. In the garden we had a visit from a pair of goldfinches who spent a lot of time eating sunflower seeds from the feeder. Apart from that pair and a solitary hen chaffinch we have only had the usual visitors.